DETROIT — It wasn’t exactly how the Detroit Red Wings diagram a win.
Nicklas Lidstrom’s power-play goal with 39 seconds left lifted Detroit to a 5-4 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes on Wednesday night to thwart Phoenix’s third-period comeback from a two-goal deficit.
“It’s not the way we want to win but we’re still able to win games,” Lidstrom said. “We’re still working at details in our game that could be better.”
Lidstrom’s shot from the point went in off Coyotes defenseman Ken Klee’s stick.
“It hit something,” Lidstrom said. “We’ll take the win tonight.”
The goal came only 7 seconds after the Coyotes’ Joel Perrault was called for hooking.
“It was a penalty, I wasn’t debating that,” Phoenix coach Wayne Gretzky said. “But there were three hooks on our guys before that.”
Ed Jovanovski agreed.
“It was a joke, an absolute joke. Forty five seconds left in the game,” he said. “The guys are battling for the puck. There were two penalties missed before that in the corner. He calls that, it’s embarrassing. We’re fighting for our lives here. That’s a big point for us.”
Marian Hossa scored two goals for the second consecutive game and Henrik Zetterberg and Mikael Samuelsson also scored for Detroit. Chris Osgood made 22 saves.
Jovanovski and Joakim Lindstrom each had a goal and an assist and Todd Fedoruk and Perrault also scored for Phoenix, which lost its fifth straight. Ilya Bryzgalov made 28 saves.
“It was tough” said Coyotes captain Shane Doan. “It’s disappointing; got to find a way to win.”
Lindstrom’s power-play goal tied the game at 4 with 5:05 left. He beat Osgood with a one-timer from the right circle for his eighth goal.
Perrault had made it 4-3 with his second goal of the season when he slipped a shot between Osgood’s pad and the near goal post.
“We’re up two goals and then they got kind of a funny one at the end,” said Zetterberg, who returned after missing three games with lower back spasms.
Osgood has struggled for much of the season.
“I have to get myself where I want to be the next two months,” he said. “I’m getting some horrible bounces right now. You work your way through it.”
Detroit led 3-2 after two.
Samuelsson scored on the power-play 5:44 into the third period with a one-time shot from the bottom of the left circle to make it 4-2. It was Samuelsson’s 13th goal.
Zetterberg put the Red Wings ahead in the second period with his 18th goal. He beat Bryzgalov from the inside edge of the right circle. Fedoruk tied it at 2 with a one-timer from the left circle for his fifth goal.
Hossa had given Detroit a 2-1 lead early in the second with his second of the game and 28th of the season. His shot from the left circle trickled in off the goal post.
Hossa opened the scoring in the first period when his shot from the high slot bounced in off Coyotes defenseman David Schlemko.
But Jovanovski’s power-play goal tied it at 1. Keith Yandle’s pass sprung Jovanovski for a breakaway from the Red Wings’ blue line and he beat Osgood between the pads. It was Jovanovski’s fourth goal.
Notes: It was Zetterberg’s first game after signing a 12-year, $73 million contract. … Phoenix D Derek Morris missed his fourth game with an upper body injury and Coyotes C Steven Reinprecht missed his third game with an upper body injury. … Red Wings RW Tomas Holmstrom missed his third game with a sore groin. … Phoenix recalled C Kevin Porter and RW Jeff Hoggan from its American Hockey League affiliate in San Antonio. The Coyotes also reassigned LW Steven Goertzen and C Alexander Nikulin to San Antonio and LW Viktor Tikhonov was activated from the injured list and assigned to the same team. … Detroit recalled C Darren Helm from its AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids. … Lidstrom played in his 1,300th game.
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